A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 08 eBook

In the morning, at break of day, the king is at his
beads, praying, on his knees, upon a Persian lambskin,
having some eight rosaries, or strings of beads, each
containing 400. The beads are of rich pearl,
ballace rubies, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, aloes wood,
eshem, and coral. At the upper end of
a large black stone on which he kneels, there are
figures graven in stone of the Virgin and Christ, so,
turning his face to the west, he repeats 3200 words,
according to the number of his beads. After this
he shews himself to the people, receiving their salams
or good-morrows; a vast multitude resorting every morning
to the palace for that purpose. After this he
takes two hours sleep, then dines, and passes his
time among his women till noon. From that time
till three o’clock he shews himself again to
the people, looking at sports and pastimes made by
men, or at fights of various animals. At three
o’clock, all the nobles then in Agra, who are
in health, resort to court, when the king comes forth
to open audience, sitting in his royal seat, and all
the nobles standing before him, each according to his
degree. The chiefs of the nobles standing within
the red rail, and all the rest without, all being
properly placed by the lieutenant-general. The
space within the red rail is three steps higher than
where the rest stand, and within this red rail I was
placed among the chiefest of the land. All the
rest are placed in their order by officers, and they
likewise are placed within another rail in a spacious
place; and without the rail stand all kinds of horsemen
and foot-soldiers belonging to his captains, and all
other comers. At these rails there are many doors
kept by a great number of porters, who have white
rods to keep every one in order.

In the middle of the place, right before the king,
stands one of the king’s sheriffs or judges,
together with the chief executioner, who is attended
by forty executioners, distinguished from all others
by a peculiar kind of quilted caps on their heads,
some with hatchets on their shoulders, and others
with all sorts of whips, ready to execute the king’s
commands. The king hears all manner of causes
in this place, staying about two hours every day for
that purpose; for the kings in India sit in judgment
every day, and their sentences are put in execution
every Tuesday.

After this he retires to his private chamber for prayer,
when four or five kinds of finely-dressed roast meats
are set before him, of which he eats till his stomach
is satisfied, drinking after this meal one cup of
strong drink. He then goes into a private room,
into which no one enters but such as are named by
himself, where for two years I was one of his attendants;
and here he drinks other five cups of strong liquor,
being the quantity allowed by his physicians.
This done, he chews opium, and being intoxicated,
he goes to sleep, and every one departs to his home.
He is awakened after two hours to get his supper, at
which time he is unable to feed himself, but has it
thrust into his mouth by others, which is about one
o’clock in the morning; after which he sleeps
the rest of the night.